Research progress and potential of new enhanced oil recovery methods in oilfield development

This paper reviews the basic research means for oilfield development and also the researches and tests of enhanced oil recovery(EOR)methods for mature oilfields and continental shale oil development,analyzes the problems of EOR methods,and proposes the relevant research prospects.The basic research means for oilfield development include in-situ acquisition of formation rock/fluid samples and non-destructive testing.The EOR methods for conventional and shale oil development are classified as improved water flooding(e.g.nano-water flooding),chemical flooding(e.g.low-concentration middle-phase micro-emulsion flooding),gas flooding(e.g.micro/nano bubble flooding),thermal recovery(e.g.air injection thermal-aided miscible flooding),and multi-cluster uniform fracturing/water-free fracturing,which are discussed in this paper for their mechanisms,approaches,and key technique researches and field tests.These methods have been studied with remarkable progress,and some achieved ideal results in field tests.Nonetheless,some problems still exist,such as inadequate research on mechanisms,imperfect matching technologies,and incomplete industrial chains.It is proposed to further strengthen the basic researches and expand the field tests,thereby driving the formation,promotion and application of new technologies.

Test of the Relative Permeability Curve of a Gas and Oil Condensate System and its Effect on the Recovery of Oil and Gas

The relative permeability curve has been measured with simulation oil (refined oil) and gas (nitrogen or air) at room temperature and a lowpressure, both of which are very important parameters for depicting the flow of fluid through porous media in a hydrocarbon reservoir. This basic measurement is often applied in exploitation evaluation, but the underground conditions with high temperature and pressure, and the phase equilibrium of oil and gas, are not taken into consideration when the relative permeability curve is tested. There is an important theoretical and practical sense in testing the diphase relative permeability curve of the equilibrium of oil and gas under the conditions of high temperature and pressure. The test method for the relative permeability curve is proposed in this paper. The relative permeability of the equilibrium of oil and gas and the standard one are tested in two fluids, and the differences between these two methods are stated. The research results can be applied to the simulation and prediction of CVD in long cores and then the phenomenon can better explain that the recovery of condensate gas rich in condensate oil is higher than that of CVD test in PVT. Meanwhile, the research shows that the relative permeability curve of equilibrium oil and gas is sensitive to the rate of exploitation, and the viewpoint proves that an improved gas recovery rate can properly increase the recovery of condensate oil.

Shale oil and gas exploitation in China:Technical comparison with US and development suggestions

The shale oil and gas exploitation in China is technically benchmarked with the United States in terms of development philosophy,reservoir stimulation treatment,fracturing parameters,fracturing equipment and materials,oil/gas production technology,and data/achievements sharing.It is recognized that the shale oil and gas exploitation in China is weak in seven aspects:understanding of flow regimes,producing of oil/gas reserves,monitoring of complex fractures,repeated stimulation technology,oil/gas production technology,casing deformation prevention technology,and wellbore maintenance technology.Combined with the geological and engineering factors of shale oil and gas in China,the development suggestions of four projects are proposed from the macro-and micro-perspective,namely,basic innovation project,exploitation technology project,oil/gas production stabilization project,and supporting efficiency-improvement project,so as to promote the rapid,efficient,stable,green and extensive development of shale oil and gas industry chain and innovation chain and ultimately achieve the goal of“oil volume stabilizing and gas volume increasing”.

Investigation of flue gas water-alternating gas (flue gas–WAG) injection for enhanced oil recovery and multicomponent flue gas storage in the post-waterflooding reservoir

Flue gas fooding is one of the important technologies to improve oil recovery and achieve greenhouse gas storage.In order to study multicomponent fue gas storage capacity and enhanced oil recovery(EOR)performance of fue gas water-alternating gas(fue gas-WAG)injection after continuous waterfooding in an oil reservoir,a long core fooding system was built.The experimental results showed that the oil recovery factor of fue gas-WAG fooding was increased by 21.25%after continuous waterfooding and fue gas-WAG fooding could further enhance oil recovery and reduce water cut signifcantly.A novel material balance model based on storage mechanism was developed to estimate the multicomponent fue gas storage capacity and storage capacity of each component of fue gas in reservoir oil,water and as free gas in the post-waterfooding reservoir.The ultimate storage ratio of fue gas is 16%in the fue gas-WAG fooding process.The calculation results of fue gas storage capacity showed that the injection gas storage capacity mainly consists of N_(2) and CO_(2),only N_(2) exists as free gas phase in cores,and other components of injection gas are dissolved in oil and water.Finally,injection strategies from three perspectives for fue gas storage,EOR,and combination of fue gas storage and EOR were proposed,respectively.

Gas channeling control with an in-situ smart surfactant gel during water-alternating-CO_(2) enhanced oil recovery

Undesirable gas channeling always occurs along the high-permeability layers in heterogeneous oil reservoirs during water-alternating-CO_(2)(WAG)flooding,and conventional polymer gels used for blocking the“channeling”paths usually suffer from either low injectivity or poor gelation control.Herein,we for the first time developed an in-situ high-pressure CO_(2)-triggered gel system based on a smart surfactant,N-erucamidopropyl-N,N-dimethylamine(UC22AMPM),which was introduced into the aqueous slugs to control gas channeling inWAG processes.The water-like,low-viscosity UC22AMPM brine solution can be thickened by high-pressure CO_(2) owing to the formation of wormlike micelles(WLMs),as well as their growth and shear-induced structure buildup under shear flow.The thickening power can be further potentiated by the generation of denser WLMs resulting from either surfactant concentration augmentation or a certain range of heating,and can be impaired via pressurization above the critical pressure of CO_(2) because of its soaring solvent power.Core flooding tests using heterogeneous cores demonstrated that gas channeling was alleviated by plugging of high-capacity channels due to the in-situ gelation of UC22AMPM slugs upon their reaction with the pre-or post-injected CO_(2) slugs under shear flow,thereupon driving chase fluids into unrecovered low-permeability areas and producing an 8.0% higher oil recovery factor than the conventional WAG mode.This smart surfactant enabled high injectivity and satisfactory gelation control,attributable to low initial viscosity and the combined properties of one component and CO_(2)-triggered gelation,respectively.This work could provide a guide towards designing gels for reducing CO_(2) spillover and reinforcing the CO_(2) sequestration effect during CO_(2) enhanced oil recovery processes.

Co-optimization of carbon dioxide storage and enhanced oil recovery in oil reservoirs using a multi-objective genetic algorithm(NSGA-Ⅱ)

Climate researchers have observed that the carbon dioxide （CO2） concentration in the atmosphere have been growing significantly over the past century. CO2 from energy represents about 75% of the greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions for Annex B （Developed） countries, and over 60% of global emissions. Because of impermeable cap rocks hydrocarbon reservoirs are able to sequester CO〉 In addition, due to high-demand for oil worldwide, injection of CO2 is a useful way to enhance oil production. Hence, applying an efficient method to co-optimize CO2 storage and oil production is vital. Lack of suitable optimization techniques in the past led most multi-objective optimization problems to be tackled in the same way as a single objective optimization issue. However, there are some basic differences between the multi and single objective optimization methods. In this study, by using a non- dominated sorting genetic algorithm （NSGA-II） for an oil reservoir, some appropriate scenarios are proposed based on simultaneous gas storage and enhanced oil recovery optimization. The advantages of this method allow us to amend production scenarios after implementing the optimization process, by regarding the variation of economic parameters such as oil price and CO2 tax. This leads to reduced risks and time duration of making new decisions based on upcoming situations.

Development characteristics and orientation of tight oil and gas in China

Through reviewing the development history of tight oil and gas in China,summarizing theoretical understandings in exploration and development,and comparing the geological conditions and development technologies objectively in China and the United States,we clarified the progress and stage of tight oil and gas exploration and development in China,and envisaged the future development orientation of theory and technology,process methods and development policy.In nearly a decade,relying on the exploration and development practice,science and technology research and management innovation,huge breakthroughs have been made.The laws of formation,distribution and accumulation of tight oil and gas have been researched,the development theories such as"multi-stage pressure drop"and"man-made reservoirs"have been established,and several technology series have been innovated and integrated.These technology series include enrichment regions selection,well pattern deployment,single well production and recovery factor enhancement,and low cost development.As a result,both of reserves and production of tight oil and gas increase rapidly.However,limited by the sedimentary environment and tectonic background,compared with North America,China’s tight oil and gas reservoirs are worse in continuity,more difficult to develop and poorer in economic efficiency.Moreover,there are still some gaps in reservoir identification accuracy and stimulating technology between China and North America.In the future,Chinese oil and gas companies should further improve the resource evaluation method,tackle key technologies such as high-precision 3D seismic interpretation,man-made reservoir,and intelligent engineering,innovate theories and technologies to enhance single well production and recovery rate,and actively endeavor to get the finance and tax subsidy on tight oil and gas.

Produced Water from Oil and Gas Exploration—Problems, Solutions and Opportunities

Large volumes of water are generated in gas- and oil-production. This includes the water that is present originally in the reservoirs, but also water that is injected into the wells. While currently much of the produced water is either reinjected or disposed of after treatment, treated produced water is increasingly seen as an interesting resource, especially in water-scarce regions. This review looks at different PW treatment methods available, with an emphasis on the management of PW in oil- and gas production on the Arabian Peninsula.

Regression analysis and its application to oil and gas exploration:A case study of hydrocarbon loss recovery and porosity prediction,China

In oil and gas exploration,elucidating the complex interdependencies among geological variables is paramount.Our study introduces the application of sophisticated regression analysis method at the forefront,aiming not just at predicting geophysical logging curve values but also innovatively mitigate hydrocarbon depletion observed in geochemical logging.Through a rigorous assessment,we explore the efficacy of eight regression models,bifurcated into linear and nonlinear groups,to accommodate the multifaceted nature of geological datasets.Our linear model suite encompasses the Standard Equation,Ridge Regression,Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator,and Elastic Net,each presenting distinct advantages.The Standard Equation serves as a foundational benchmark,whereas Ridge Regression implements penalty terms to counteract overfitting,thus bolstering model robustness in the presence of multicollinearity.The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator for variable selection functions to streamline models,enhancing their interpretability,while Elastic Net amalgamates the merits of Ridge Regression and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator,offering a harmonized solution to model complexity and comprehensibility.On the nonlinear front,Gradient Descent,Kernel Ridge Regression,Support Vector Regression,and Piecewise Function-Fitting methods introduce innovative approaches.Gradient Descent assures computational efficiency in optimizing solutions,Kernel Ridge Regression leverages the kernel trick to navigate nonlinear patterns,and Support Vector Regression is proficient in forecasting extremities,pivotal for exploration risk assessment.The Piecewise Function-Fitting approach,tailored for geological data,facilitates adaptable modeling of variable interrelations,accommodating abrupt data trend shifts.Our analysis identifies Ridge Regression,particularly when augmented by Piecewise Function-Fitting,as superior in recouping hydrocarbon losses,and underscoring its utility in resource quantification refinement.Meanwhile,Kernel Ridge Regression emerges as a noteworthy strategy in ameliorating porosity-logging curve prediction for well A,evidencing its aptness for intricate geological structures.This research attests to the scientific ascendancy and broad-spectrum relevance of these regression techniques over conventional methods while heralding new horizons for their deployment in the oil and gas sector.The insights garnered from these advanced modeling strategies are set to transform geological and engineering practices in hydrocarbon prediction,evaluation,and recovery.

Gas injection for enhanced oil recovery in two-dimensional geology-based physical model of Tahe fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs:karst fault system

Gas injection serves as a main enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir,but its effect differs among single wells and multi-well groups because of the diverse fractured-vuggy configuration.Many researchers conducted experiments for the observation of fluid flow and the evaluation of production performance,while most of their physical models were fabricated based on the probability distribution of fractures and caves in the reservoir.In this study,a two-dimensional physical model of the karst fault system was designed and fabricated based on the geological model of TK748 well group in the seventh block of the Tahe Oilfield.The fluid flow and production performance of primary gas flooding were discussed.Gas-assisted gravity flooding was firstly introduced to take full use of gas-oil gravity difference,and its feasibility in the karst fault system was examined.Experimental results showed that primary gas flooding created more flow paths and achieved a remarkable increment of oil recovery compared to water flooding.Gas injection at a lower location was recommended to delay gas breakthrough.Gas-assisted gravity flooding achieved more stable gas-displacing-oil because oil production was at a lower location,and thus,the oil recovery was further enhanced.

Empirical Investigation of Treatment of Sour Gas by Novel Technology: Energy Optimization

The sour gas sweetening is one of the main processes in gas industries. Gas sweetening is done through chemical processes. Therefore, it requires high cost and energy. The results show that increasing the operating temperature increases the mass transfer coefficient and increases the mass transfer rate. Theoretical and experimental data show that sulfur removal in 4.5 W magnetic field is desirable. The increase in sulfur removal percentage in the magnetic field of 4.5 W and 6.75 W is about 16.4% and 15.2%, respectively. According to the obtained results, the effect of temperature increase from 18.8°C to 23.4°C is more evident than the effect of temperature change from 23.4°C to 32.2°C. Because more thermal energy is needed to provide higher temperatures. Therefore, the temperature of 23.4°C is reported as the optimal temperature. The results of this research show that the percentage of sulfur removal is also high at this temperature.

A novel type curve for estimating oil recovery factor of gas flooding

A novel type curve is presented for oil recovery factor prediction suitable for gas flooding by innovatively introducing the equivalent water-gas cut to replace the water cut,comprehensively considering the impact of three-phase flow(oil,gas,water),and deriving the theoretical equations of gas flooding type curve based on Tong’s type curve.The equivalent water-gas cut is the ratio of the cumulative underground volume of gas and water production to the total underground volume of produced fluids.Field production data and the numerical simulation results are used to demonstrate the feasibility of the new type curve and verify the accuracy of the prediction results with field cases.The new type curve is suitable for oil recovery factor prediction of both water flooding and gas flooding.When a reservoir has no gas injected or produced,the gas phase can be ignored and only the oil and water phases need to be considered,in this case,this gas flooding type curve returns to the Tong’s type curve,which can evaluate the oil recovery factor of water flooding.For reservoirs with equivalent water-gas cuts of 60%-80%,the regression method of the new type curve works well in predicting the oil recovery factor.For reservoirs with equivalent water-gas cuts higher than 80%,both the regression and assignment methods of the new type curve can accurately predict the oil recovery factor of gas flooding.

An experimental and numerical study of chemically enhanced water alternating gas injection

In this work, an experimental study combined with numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the potential of chemically enhanced water alternating gas （CWAG） injection as a new enhanced oil recovery method. The unique feature of this new method is that it uses alkaline, surfactant, and polymer additives as a chemical slug which is injected during the water alternating gas （WAG） process to reduce the interfacial tension （IFT） and simultaneously improve the mobility ratio. In essence, the proposed CWAG process involves a combination of chemical flooding and immiscible carbon dioxide （CO2） injection and helps in IFT reduction, water blocking reduction, mobility control, oil swelling, and oil viscosity reduction due to CO2 dissolution. Its performance was compared with the conventional immiscible water alter- nating gas （I-WAG） flooding. Oil recovery utilizing CWAG was better by 26 % of the remaining oil in place after waterflooding compared to the recovery using WAG conducted under similar conditions. The coreflood data （cumulative oil and water production） were history mat- ched via a commercial simulator by adjusting the relative permeability curves and assigning the values of the rock and fluid properties such as porosity, permeability, and the experimentally determined IFT data. History matching ofthe coreflood model helped us optimize the experiments and was useful in determining the importance of the parameters influencing sweep efficiency in the CWAG process. The effectiveness of the CWAG process in pro- viding enhancement of displacement efficiency is evident in the oil recovery and pressure response observed in the coreflood. The results of sensitivity analysis on CWAG slug patterns show that the alkaline-surfactant-polymer injection is more beneficial after CO2 slug injection due to oil swelling and viscosity reduction. The CO2 slug size analysis shows that there is an optimum CO2 slug size, around 25 % pore volume which leads to a maximum oil recovery in the CWAG process. This study shows that the ultralow IFT system, i.e., IFT equaling 10 2 or 10 3 mN/ m, is a very important parameter in CWAG process since the water blocking effect can be minimized.

Foaming supramolecular surfactants for gas mobility control in naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs at high temperature,salinity,and hardness

Oil production and mainte nance are essential issues in naturally fractured reservoirs because they are the largest and most productive on earth.However,they present early water and gas channeling but could be remediated by using foaming agents to control these phenomena through blocking channeling areas.In Mexico these reservoirs have pressure up to 5,500 psi,high temperature up to 200℃,salinity up to400,000 ppm,and hardness up to 250,000 ppm;due to these thermodynamic conditions,there has been no available technology to form stable enough foams.In this work,a foaming supramolecular surfactant with the capability to chelate Ca^(2+)ions is examined.As a result,surfactant monomers are bridged by captured Ca^(2+)cations leading to the formation of high-molecular-weight oligomers,which significantly increment the viscosity of the solution improving the foam stability,and since at this manner the Ca2+cations are no longer available to precipitate as components of solid salts,the foaming supramolecular surfactant also performs as antiscalant.These observations are explained through quantum theoretical modeling.The foam is stable,effectively blocking the gas channels,whereas in presence of oil the foam is broken leading the oil to pass into the wellbore.The characteristic rheological properties of the foam allow its injection into the formation at a range of flow rates,foam qualities,and shear stress to achieve the flooding and the blocking of a variety of fractured carbonate formations,and the change of the wettability of the matrix,which is a desirable behavior in a huff and puff process,as reported in a previous publication about a successful pilot test of this foam.

Chemical-assisted MMP reduction on methane-oil systems:Implications for natural gas injection to enhanced oil recovery

technique.However,the main challenge in this process is the high minimum miscibility pressure(MMP)between natural gas and crude oil,which limits its application and recovery factor,especially in hightemperature reservoirs.Therefore,we present a novel investigation to quantify the effect of chemicalassisted MMP reduction on the oil recovery factor.Firstly,we measured the interfacial tension(IFT)of the methane-oil system in the presence of chemical or CO_(2) to calculate the MMP reduction at a constant temperature(373K)using the vanishing interfacial tension(VIT)method.Afterwards,we performed three coreflooding experiments to quantify the effect of MMP reduction on the oil recovery factor under different injection scenarios.The interfacial tension measurements show that adding a small fraction(1.5 wt%)of the tested surfactant(SOLOTERRA ME-6)achieved 9%of MMP reduction,while adding 20 wt%of CO_(2) to the methane yields 13%of MMP reduction.Then,the coreflooding results highlight the significance of achieving miscibility during gas injection,as the ultimate recovery factor increased from 65.5%under immiscible conditions to 77.2%using chemical-assisted methane,and to 79%using gas mixture after achieving near miscible condition.The results demonstrate the promising potential of the MMP reduction to signifi-cantly increase the oil recovery factor during gas injection.Furthermore,these results will likely expand the application envelop of the miscible gas injection,in addition to the environmental benefits of utilizing the produced gas by re-injection/recycling instead of flaring which contributes to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.

Advances in enhanced oil recovery technologies for low permeability reservoirs

Low permeability oil and gas resources are rich and have great potential all over the world, which has gradually become the main goal of oil and gas development. However, after traditional primary and secondary exploitation, there is still a large amount of remaining oil that has not been recovered.Therefore, in recent years, enhanced oil recovery(EOR) technologies for low permeability reservoirs have been greatly developed to further improve crude oil production. This study presents a comprehensive review of EOR technologies in low permeability reservoirs with an emphasis on gas flooding, surfactant flooding, nanofluid flooding and imbibition EOR technologies. In addition, two kinds of gel systems are introduced for conformance control in low permeability reservoirs with channeling problems. Finally,the technical challenges, directions and outlooks of EOR in low permeability reservoirs are addressed.

Activating solution gas drive as an extra oil production mechanism after carbonated water injection

Enhanced oil recovery(EOR)methods are mostly based on different phenomena taking place at the interfaces between fluid–fluid and rock–fluid phases.Over the last decade,carbonated water injection(CWI)has been considered as one of the multi-objective EOR techniques to store CO2 in the hydrocarbon bearing formations as well as improving oil recovery efficiency.During CWI process,as the reservoir pressure declines,the dissolved CO2 in the oil phase evolves and gas nucleation phenomenon would occur.As a result,it can lead to oil saturation restoration and subsequently,oil displacement due to the hysteresis effect.At this condition,CO2 would act as insitu dissolved gas into the oil phase,and play the role of an artificial solution gas drive(SGD).In this study,the effect of SGD as an extra oil recovery mechanism after secondary and tertiary CWI(SCWI-TCWI)modes has been experimentally investigated in carbonate rocks using coreflood tests.The depressurization tests resulted in more than 25%and 18%of original oil in place(OOIP)because of the SGD after SCWI and TCWI tests,respectively.From the ultimate enhanced oil recovery point of view,the efficiency of SGD was observed to be more than one-third of that of CWI itself.Furthermore,the pressure drop data revealed that the system pressure depends more on the oil production pattern than water production.

Ultrasonic Technology for Enhanced Oil Recovery

An ultrasonic technology for enhanced oil recovery is described. For the implementation of this technology, the equipment was specially developed, taking into account the working conditions. The criteria for selections of well candidates were developed. The technology has been tested in two different regions in different geological conditions. The results of these field tests indicate the high efficiency of the proposed technology. The success rate of the method reached 90% and the increase in oil production was in the range of 40% - 100%.

Importance of conformance control in reinforcing synergy of CO_(2) EOR and sequestration

Injecting CO2into hydrocarbon reservoirs can enhance the recovery of hydrocarbon resources,and simultaneously,CO2can be stored in the rese rvoirs,reducing considerable amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.However,injected CO_(2)tends to go through fractures,high-permeability channels and streaks present in reservoirs,resulting in inefficient hydrocarbon recovery coupled with low CO_(2)storage performance.Conformance treatments with CO_(2)-resistant crosslinked polymer gels were performed in this study to mitigate the CO_(2)channeling issue and promote the synergy between enhanced oil recovery(EOR) and subsurface sequestration of CO_(2).Based on a typical low-permeability CO_(2)-flooding reservoir in China,studies were performed to investigate the EOR and CO_(2)storage performance with and without conformance treatment.The effect of permeability contrast between the channels and rese rvoir matrices,treatment size,and plugging strength on the efficiency of oil recovery and CO_(2)storage was systematically investigated.The results indicated that after conformance treatments,the CO_(2)channeling problem was mitigated during CO_(2)flooding and storage.The injected CO_(2)was more effectively utilized to recover the hydrocarbons,and entered wider spectrum of pore spaces.Consequently,more CO_(2)was trapped underground.Pronounced factors on the synergy of EOR and CO_(2)storage were figured out.Compared with the treatment size,the CO_(2)storage efficiency was more sensitive to the plugging strength of the conformance treatment materials.This observation was important for conformance treatment design in CCUS-EOR projects.According to this study,the materials should reduce the channel permeability to make the channel/matrix permeability ratio below 30.The results demonstrate the importance of conformance treatment in maximizing the performance of CCUS-EOR process to achieve both oil recovery improvement and efficient carbon storage.This study provides guidelines for successful field applications of CO_(2)transport control in CO_(2)geo-utilization and storage.

An improved oil recovery prediction method for volatile oil reservoirs

To describe the complex phase transformation in the process of depletion exploitation of volatile oil reservoir,four fluid phases are defined,and production and remaining volume of these phases are calculated based on the principle of surface volume balance,then the recovery prediction method of volatile oil reservoir considering the influence of condensate content in released solution gas and the correction method of multiple degassing experiments data are established.Taking three typical kinds of crude oil(black oil,medium-weak volatile oil,strong volatile oil)as examples,the new improved method is used to simulate constant volume depletion experiments based on the corrected data of multiple degassing experiment to verify the reliability of the modified method.By using"experimental data and traditional method","corrected data and traditional method"and"corrected data and modified method",recovery factors of these three typical kinds of oil are calculated respectively.The source of parameters and the calculation methods have little effect on the recovery of typical black oil.However,with the increase of crude oil volatility,the oil recovery will be seriously underestimated by using experimental data or traditional method.The combination of"corrected data and modified method"considers the influence of condensate in gas phase in both experimental parameters and calculation method,and has good applicability to typical black oil and volatile oil.The strong shrinkage of volatile oil makes more"liquid oil"convert to"gaseous oil",so volatile oil reservoir can reach very high oil recovery by depletion drive.